1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to waste processing machines and, more particularly, to a method for aligning a clutch assembly of a waste processing machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known to provide waste processing machines to reduce waste material. The waste processing machine typically includes an infeed system for directing the waste material to a waste reducing system for reducing the waste material. An example of such a waste processing machine is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,863,003, issued Jan. 26, 1999, to Smith, entitled xe2x80x9cWASTE PROCESSING MACHINExe2x80x9d, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. In that patent, the infeed system includes an infeed conveyor to feed waste material such as wood to a rotor assembly of the waste reducing system. The rotor assembly of the waste reducing system is driven against the incoming waste material, which causes the incoming waste material to be reduced into particulate matter. The waste processing machine is controlled such that the resultant particulate matter is continually reduced until it reaches a predetermined size upon which it is discharged from the machine.
To drive the rotor assembly, the waste processing machine includes an engine having a power-take off assembly such as of a type supplied by Twin-Disk Incorporated of Racine, Wis. The power-take off assembly has a clutch assembly with a partially exposed clutch shaft, which serves as a driving member for rotating a sheave and belt of a belt drive assembly. The belt drive assembly uses a wide flat belt that is placed about the sheave on the power take-off assembly and about a corresponding sheave on the rotor assembly. In this manner, the rotor assembly of the waste processing machine is driven by the engine through the power take-off assembly, and belt drive assembly.
One concern is that the belt drive assembly places a large transverse load upon the sheave on the power-take off assembly when the belt is installed and tensioned. To respond to this concern, the manufacturers of these types of power take-off assemblies caution against the misalignment of the clutch assembly of the power take-off assembly, relative to a the engine, upon installation. More specifically, the clutch assembly includes a drive ring having teeth attached to a flywheel of the engine and a clutch plate having teeth is attached to a shaft of the clutch assembly. If the clutch plate teeth are misaligned with the teeth of the drive ring or the clutch shaft is not parallel with the crankshaft of the engine, damage to the teeth and clutch plate can occur.
Additionally, these manufacturers recommend the use of shims when assembling the power take-off assembly, in particular, a sheave housing of the power take-off assembly to an engine housing or engine bed frame. The shimming process is extremely time consuming and costly as the assembly is measured, then disassembled to allow the shims to be inserted, then reassembled, torqued-down, and then re-measured. This procedure is repeated until a zero alignment is achieved circumferentially around the sheave housing. When completed, the entire assembly is statically aligned, but this method of alignment does not fully correct for the transverse loading.
The above is not related to the load being placed upon the bearings of the power take-off assembly and sheave housing. In fact, the load is easily absorbed and sustained by the bearings within the power take-off assembly. However, the transverse loading of the belt drive assembly causes a deflection of the sheave housing of the power take-off assembly. This is undesired, as the transverse load upon the power take-off assembly by the belt drive assembly deflects the sheave housing and portions of the clutch assembly attached to the sheave housing of the power take-off assembly, but the portions of the clutch assembly that are attached to an engine flywheel remain oriented to the centerline of the engine. This disparity of alignment between the teeth of the clutch plate of the clutch assembly within the sheave housing of the power take-off assembly and those teeth of the drive ring disposed on the engine flywheel creates physical interference between these clutch components. This interference results in premature wear and failure of the clutch assembly.
To this point, the warnings of the power take-off manufacturers and their suggested shimming approaches during the initial assembly have failed to overcome the transverse loading effect when the belt drive assembly is installed and properly tensioned, even though this is the prescribed application for this type of power take-off assembly.
As a result, it is desirable to provide a method of aligning a clutch assembly for a waste processing machine to overcome a transverse loading effect of a belt drive assembly. It is further desirable to provide a method for aligning a clutch assembly of a power take-off assembly on a waste processing machine that is neither expensive nor time consuming. Therefore, there is a need in the art to provide a method that meets these desires.
It is, therefore, one object of the present invention to provide a method for aligning a clutch assembly.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for aligning a clutch assembly of a waste processing machine.
To achieve the foregoing objects, the present invention is a method for aligning a clutch assembly having a clutch shaft and a housing with a plurality of threaded first fasteners. The method includes the steps of attaching the clutch assembly to a driveshaft of an engine mounted on a support frame having a plurality of second threaded fasteners. The method includes the steps of mounting a support plate to the housing and support frame and extending the first fasteners and second fasteners through mounting holes. The method also includes the steps of deflecting the clutch shaft relative to the driveshaft and disposing spacers over the first fasteners and second fasteners adjacent the support plate. The method includes the steps of engaging the first fasteners and second fasteners with third fasteners to seat the spacers against the support plate and fixedly securing the spacers to the support plate. The method further includes the steps of assembling and tensioning a drive belt assembly operatively cooperating with the clutch shaft such that the deflection created is negated and the clutch shaft is brought into alignment with the driveshaft of the engine.
One advantage of the present invention is that a method is provided for aligning a clutch assembly. Another advantage of the present invention is that the method aligns a clutch assembly for a waste processing machine to overcome a transverse loading effect of a belt drive assembly. Yet another advantage of the present invention is that the method aligns a clutch assembly of a power take-off assembly on a waste processing machine that is neither expensive nor time consuming. Still another advantage of the present invention is that the method provides high precision seatability and allows easier serviceability of the clutch assembly. A further advantage of the present invention is that the method allows for zero manufacturing tolerance.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated, as the same becomes better understood, after reading the subsequent description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings.